Legend of Korra: Book 99
by Texentes Verba
Summary: The story is set 10 years after the incident with Amon. The major drawback is that season 2 is on the way so some of the characters i have introduced may have incorrect names but have no fear for i shall update to have names match to avoid too much confusion. In essence this is my own Legend of Korra arc, where i go deeper into bending and who knows, maybe dig up some old secrets.
1. Summit Members Arrive

The year is 180 ASC, and the stadium is full with the roars of adoring fans, accompanied with boos from those who supported the other team. The match today was quite the decisive one being the semi-finals, the Fire Ferrets versus Golden Rain.

Korra, Mako and Bolin all stood in the first zone on the enemy side waiting for the referee to signal the resume of the game. Loesik the water bender of team Golden Rain stood in the second zone while his friend Teram the earth bender pushed himself up after being hit into the third zone by Bolin.

The crowd roared as Teram stood up, signaling to the referee that he wished to continue despite his sprained ankle. Standing up on only his right fight and holding up his guard, he hopped from left to right to get himself used to the feeling.

The semi-finals resumed.

Every earth disk that Teram sent forward was intercepted by Bolin utilizing the earth disks quite well. After ten years, it only made sense that he would have gotten better at this. Korra and Mako did a combination attack that involved Mako being aggressive and Korra acting as support. Loesik jumped, ducked, weaved and turned all ways dodging with incredible skill and precision. The only time he found himself able to use water was as defense.

Without warning, an earth disk hit him in the abdomen causing him to lose his center of gravity while in the air. A stream of water pushed him into the third zone where his body landed with a thump followed by a barrel roll to the edge of the field.

He was about to stand up when he noticed that Teram was no longer on the field. How powerful these opponents were was the question written all over his face. The buzzer went off to signal the end of three minutes.

"And the winner of the first semi-final match is the family team known as the Fire Ferrets!" shouted the announcer; stressing the word 'ferrets'.

This was more than a family playing sports together, it was training that Tenzin requested they engage in. Here Bolin, Mako and Korra could practice battle as a team instead of separate. The entire crowd rose and applauded, even those who came in support of Golden Rain.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them sat in the back room talking up a storm. Pabu and Naga were sleeping in a corner, adding a little cuteness to the bland changing room.

A figure in the doorway spoke aloud. "The family team does it again. I am proud of all you, especially you Bolin."

All three of them spun around to see Lin Beifong leaning against the doorpost. One must admit, for a woman of sixty years she was kind of good looking. Bolin jumped up and yelled "Beifong-sensei!" quite enthusiastically. "You really think I did well?"

Beifong let out a sigh before speaking once more. "I guess so Bolin, but either way we got to go and train tomorrow so I recommend you eat and get a good night's sleep. We start when the sun starts."

"Umm…excuse me Chief Beifong but—" Korra began only to be cut off by Beifong.

"I am no longer Chief remember. I retired two years ago so please stop."

"Alright; but I was wondering if you would still attend the Summit in three days."

"I am sorry Korra but that is no longer my job so the new Chief of Police—Chief Saikhan would be the one to accompany you. I know you rather have someone familiar there for this diplomatic event but I am unable to attend. Have no fear though for I am sure Tenzin would be there to help you."

As much as Korra wanted to argue, Lin Beifong was right about Tenzin. On the council, there was no one else Korra had rather have next to her. She had a job to do as the Avatar and now that she was twenty seven years old, she had to learn the workings of politics. Tenzin was not only her sensei in learning about bending, but he was also her advisor.

Korra smiled to herself when she thought about Tenzin being at her side. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Nothing to worry about, just need to use words."

It was ten minutes past eleven; Korra, Tenzin on her right and Chief Saikhan on her left stood on the docks, surrounded by a group White Lotus sentries.

A fleet of ships made its way towards the land and stopped a little way off, all except for one larger ship that made its way up front. From the ship, nine planes took off in smooth succession and filled the air with a buzzing noise.

In less than five minutes, all of the planes touched down in the newly built airport that was now part of the seaport. Each plane had two persons in it; the pilot and the passenger.

Three of the nine passengers were of the Fire Nation: General Iroh; Pao Luni who is the right hand and consultant to the Fire Lord; finally Mai, the daughter of Zuko and the first ever female Fire Lord—the Fire Lady if you will.

Another three of the passengers were the representatives of the Earth Kingdom: Ryu In-Pin, the supreme officer of the Earth Kindom military; Lonn Di who is the best friend of the Earth King; then the Earth King himself, Xingu.

The final three passengers were the represents of the Water Tribe: Nornihp, the current leader of the White Lotus; an advisor known as Fahruu from the Southern Water Tribe; lastly was Kinarhu, the Tribal Chief.

Korra stepped forward to greet them; both Tenzin and Saikhan stood three paces behind her. "Representatives of your respective Nations," Korra began speaking in a voice filled with confidence though her fast beating heart betrayed her. "This meeting has been called so we can discuss the land that a traveler discovered. He has allegedly witnessed sandbending."


	2. Team Avatar Meets (Minus Avatar)

Mako walked into the half-filled ramen shop; his red scarf still around his neck. He walked through the shop, his senses noticing the atmosphere. The smell of ramen and sake filled the air, engulfing him but not overwhelming him. The sound of idle chatter and laughter which should have been annoying in a public place seemed right at home. The food smelt so good that Mako was actually able to taste it, his salivary glands prepared themselves. The looks of the smiles of the Republic City citizens warmed Mako's heart more than his firebending ever could. The pure energy in the room was electrifying; it caused his skin to tingle as he felt the warmth of the ramen shop hug him and pull him towards a table that was on the east side of the shop.

As he stepped towards the table, he observed the members of the family who were there. A man who was most likely the father had short hair and appeared to be telling a story along with a few unnecessary antics. A woman who was most likely the mother had short brunette hair which stopped by her shoulders. She was in the process of scolding the father while he just sat there with his back hunched—looking forlorn. Two children were laughing at the father as he was scolded. Unlike the parents whose backs were to Mako, they were facing him. A pair of twins—a boy and a girl—laughed away as Mako just chuckled.

A small orange-like blur darted from the table towards Mako. It grabbed onto his scarf after making an amazing leap, and then scurried up to his neck. The children looked up and yelled aloud in union, "Uncle Mako!" clearing the table before leaping into his open arms like larger versions of Pabu.

"Hey there Jordin! How's my little angel?" he asked the girl after the hug, looking into her soft amber brown eyes.

"I'm real good Uncle Mako!" she replied, showing off a thousand-watt smile. The curves of her smile left dimples in her caucasian cheeks. Her dark brown wavy hair framed her face, acting like the frame for an innocent picture.

"What 'bout you champ? Think you can bend fire better than your uncle?"

"Ha! Not just yet but just you wait uncle M! I, Jordan, shall be the greatest firebender who ever lived. Even those of the Fire Nation would tremble when they hear my name!" Jordan said aloud, winning the audience of a few customers who chuckled at his antics.

Mako had to laugh a little bit at the child. He was after all the son of Bolin so it made sense. The scary part was that the only difference in appearance between Jordan and Bolin was probably the slant of the eyes; also Jordan's hair was a tad bit lighter. What was even scarier was the fact that Jordan and Jordin were twins so Jordin did look a bit like Bolin. Fortunately for her she was just so cute that it made her look more like her mother than Bolin.

The woman stood up as Mako approached, and then gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Hello Mako. How are things? How are you doing? Where's Korra? Are you and Korra ever going to have children? Can I name it if you have a daughter?"

"Baby give the man some space!" Bolin shouted making himself bigger. Then he immediately made himself smaller after his wife gave him a death stare.

"Hahahaha! I am quite fine Yaoi." Mako replied after wiping a tear from his eye. "As for Korra we are not even married yet for reason I cannot say. Plus don't you remember she has that Summit meeting to hold."

"Oh my how can I forget that!" she stated right before an evil smirk appeared on her face. "Plus it would be very awkward with both Asami and Korra here right? Oh what an amazing love triangle. You can choose from either the Avatar or thee business owner of Republic City. But as a man you must want a sandwich? Am I right?"

Jordin cocker her head to the side. "Daddy what does mommy mean by uncle Mako 'wanting a sandwich'?"

Bolin flew to Jordin's side. "Well…ummm…honey…ummm…you see…" he stuttered, his eyes darting around the shop as if the patrons were going to jump to his aid. "Look what you did Yaoi! Now she's asking ques—"

"You raising your voice when addressing me?" Yaoi said in a voice which most definitely did not suit her face. Her voice was sweet and accepting whereas her face was probably what Death saw when his time was up.

Bolin retracted himself to the corner of the room. "No honey. I love you."

Jordin and Jordan laughed away with the entire shop at Bolin's misfortune.

Mako joined them for a meal. They laughed; they talked; they ate; they drank.

An hour later, extra sunlight entered into the store. Men turned to look but were forced by the females around them to avert their eyes. A woman with a super model figure stood there; here greyish green eyes were something you could not look away from once you looked into. Her hair was done in curls, coming down past her shoulders like several spiral staircases. Her close mouth smile was brighter than many an open mouthed smile.

"Mako, Bolin, it's time. We need to go." the woman asked.

"Sure thing Asami." Mako replied. "Let's go Bolin."

Bolin sprung up and shouted, "Aye Sir!"

Yaoi sprung up and shouted, "Don't do that ever again!" then added a kick to Bolin's backside for good measure.

The smooth hum of the car engine separated it from the others on the road that seemed loud.

"What do you think boys?" Asami asked. "This is our latest model. Got our engineers to tweak a few things so that the engines would be less noisy, you know. Some people were complaining about high noise levels so we are gonna be introducing these." She sounded more like a mother showing off her child than someone talking about a product.

Bolin replied first from the back seat, "It's pretty cool. But this design though, it seems familiar."

"That's because it's the same car we always used to travel in. All we did was replace the engine. It's to make it more available for the citizens rather than have them buy all new cars."

This time it was Mako who spoke up, "But how is this in such good condition? I mean I doubt that from ten years ago this remained in such good shape."

Asami replied as if she had been rehearsing to answer these questions in front of a mirror. "So maybe it isn't the same exact car but I kept the same design, because of—well—that feeling of nostalgia."

They rode in silence for a moment. The silence was not of awkward origin, and the smiles on their faces made it clear as they recalled the times shared in the car.

Bolin was the one who brought back the conversation, "So Asami, what did you want to talk 'bout?"

"Yeah, to be honest I've been wondering as well." Mako input.

"It's about Korra. I heard from someone high up that a sailor saw something that could cause some serious turmoil. The reason behind Korra inviting all those dignitaries from their respective nations was for consultation as what to do; most likely for a probable war."

"So this is pretty much about once more being Team Avatar on the front lines?" Mako asked.

"Yes."

"You sure Korra is gonna need us though Asami?" Bolin asked.

"I can assure you that she is going to."

"Do you want to give more detail Asami?" Mako asked.

"Yeah," Bolin spoke up before Asami could talk. "I mean Korra has the most powerful benders in the world behind her in an alliance."

Asami giggled. "That is precisely why she needs us." She replied, then quickly continued before she could be interrupted by the guys who housed confused looks. "All she has is an alliance, but up front, she is going to need friends."

Mako cracked a smile and Bolin chuckled. Mako spoke first, "Yeah I guess you're right."

"Yep, leave it to a woman to find out what a woman needs. Good thing Team Avatar has a woman, am I right Mako?"

"Quite right Bolin."

"You are both quite right, so shut up about it." Asami scolded them jokingly. "Don't go soft on me now. We already have three females on the team and I can assure that we don't need anymore."

"Huh?" the confusion in Bolin's voice was quite prominent.

"Yeah, three. Me, Korra and you Bolin; you know, now that you're married."

Mako laughed with Asami while Bolin carried on with his antics as they drove along the streets of Republic City, then beneath Republic City, until they resurfaced on Air Temple Island.


	3. Testimony

A tanned man with hair that grew in patches stood before the crowd of dignitaries. He stood upright and spoke with confidence as if he were amongst equals, even though he wore a khaki pants that was torn and only just made it past his knees with a dark crème shirt.

"Ghanri," Chief Saikhan asked him. "why didn't you request for new clothing so that you may look presentable?"

"Forgive if I offend any of you," he said strong though his voice wavered a bit, "but this is a reminder of what happened." He bowed in apology, until his upper body was parallel to the ground.

"There is no problem here Mister Ghanri." Tenzin told him in a voice that offered comfort. "So please, tell your story as accurately as possible."

Ghanri cleared his throat and began. "I went along with a collection of waterbenders, practicing to navigate the waters with solely waterbending. It was a crew of twenty-three men, that number including myself. I was the captain of the vessel as it was my ship. We travelled far south west, challenging ourselves as waterbenders.

"It was night time when we encountered the island; the island which should never have existed. All twenty-three of us have knowledge navigating the seas by observing the night sky and we all knew that something was off. Before I continue, allow me to describe what we saw. A thick fog lay upon the ocean, reaching up to only half of the boat's ten foot hull. The fog was so thick though that it looked like a sea of ghost. There was fog in the air as well but nowhere as bad as what was sitting on the sea. From about one hundred and twenty meters away, we saw a silhouette of the island through the translucent fog. I decided to go out to the island when two sailors volunteered to accompany me."

Ghanri's voice remained strong but he wavered even more. His eyes were fixed in the dignitaries one moment until suddenly he watches either down or up. His heart was beating so fast, that instead of hearing your regular 'thump-break-thump', it was 'thum-thum-thum-thum-thum-thum'. The story resumed, "I told them not to come along but they believed strongly that it was their duty. It was a beautiful thing to bear witness to though, you know, a father and son sharing the same conviction. So anyways, we controlled the boat to the island through the opaque fog. When we had about thirty meters left, the fog was as half as thick as it used to be. When we had about twenty minutes left, the fog was just wisps of white painting the air. When we had about ten meters left, there was no sign of there ever having being one. It was then that I noticed a person on the sand.

"It was quite dark so I was unable to make out any of the facial feature, but it was definitely someone who has yet passed thirty years. He just stood there, the full moon behind him emit a silver light which reflected off miniature grains of something which happened to be floating all around the beach. By time I recognized what it was, I was on the little boat which was on its way back to the ship. You see, as soon as the boat hit land, we all hopped off and watched at the man in awe as grains of silver floated around him. Then without warning, he tapped his foot, and a pillar of sand rose from the feet of the child into the air. It was only when the sand fell back to the ground, that I saw his damaged body in the limited light. Most of his skin was missing; his bare flesh was exposed in areas where his free running blood refused to cover."

His fist clenched as a single tear escaped his eye. Ghanri was obviously in pain, but it was his job to relay the story; to carry out his subordinates dying wish. "The floating silver stopped moving and stood stagnant. Then faster than the eyes could possibly go, the particles darted all over the place, cutting up our bodies. These marks that you see here on my body are the cuts I got that night; these scars are my way of honoring the brave sacrifice. Loki—the father—used water to push me into the boat and make the boat go back to where it came. The moon light shone on his face, causing his tears to glimmer like quicksilver. Though he was crying, he had a smile on his face, as if he were happy to die there. As if he knew this was about to go down. I should have been the one to die! As captain, I should have been the one protecting my men!"

Ghanri feel to his knees then began to sob. He knelt there crying with zero shame, just knelt there letting out his pain.

Mai stood looking over the city. Her slick black hair was tied up in a single large ponytail that fell between her shoulder blades. Grey irises with a small line of red hugging the pupil could be seen through her slanted eyes. All five feet and six inches of her was a light shade of cream. She was wearing the traditional Fire Lord robe, though it was tailored to fit her better and held more red than it did black. The Fire Lord headpiece was what held her ponytail at the top by the back of her head in place.

Korra stepped out behind her, "Beautiful city isn't it?"

Mai chuckled, "Be careful Avatar, you startled me. But yes, this city is quite beautiful."

"Have you ever been here before?"

"Once I came with my father and got my picture taken under the statue of him. I did the same exact pose and everything." Mai chuckled like a mature woman reminiscing her childhood days. "It was enjoyable, those moments we spent together. I shall admit that he looked scary, yet somehow he was so loving."

"So what is your take on Ghanri's story Mai?"

"Ohh? Aren't we friendly?"

Korra started blushing, turning her face all ways to hide it until she finally bowed. "My apologies Fire Lady."

Mai laughed sweetly before tapping Korra on the shoulder. Korra looked up at Mai, then she said, "It's okay Avatar. After all we must be friends if we are to travel together and investigate what he said."

"Forgive my intrusion Fire Lady but I think it is far too dangerous for the leader of the Fire Nation to go out because of something a man said." General Iroh said, approaching from the doorway.

"Well then I have a proposition for you General Iroh," Mai said, her voice suddenly serious. "We are going to take a vote as to whether this is worth investigation. If 'no' occurs more than 'yes', then we shall return to the Fire Nation. If 'yes' occurs more than 'no', you are accompanying me."

General Iroh went down on one knee and put his clenched right fist over his heart. "I have you know Lady Mai, that even if 'no' were to outnumber 'yes', I would still follow you."

Tenzin knocked on the wall to gain everyone's attention before speaking. "How about we test out your loyalty then by making our way inside and deliberating on what to do?"


	4. WhatToDo

Avatar Korra, Fire Lady Mai, Earth King Xingu and Water Chief Kinarhu sat around the circular table. The others who accompanied them stood at their sides.

Tenzin; "Now we shall discuss what we are to do."

Korra; "I think it is obvious what we are to do. We must investigate this matter!"

Xingu; "Be patient Avatar. This may be something that does not require our interference."

Mai; "I agree with Korra."

Xingu; "Why are we to go out there and deal with this problem?"

Korra; "Because we are the most powerful of benders. It is our duty to take action!"

Mai; "Xingu, we are dealing with something we have not heard in a very long time. From that man's story, this level of sandbending is even stronger than those who actually lived in the dessert."

Kinarhu; "Why not gain some input from those who stand at our right and left sides. Let's start from Avatar Korra."

Tenzin; "This is something that deserves investigation, and I strongly believe that. But I don't think that we should be the ones."

Saikhan; "Avatar, I highly recommend that we all go to deal with this. If you are involved, I am sure we can defeat whatever enemy is there before it has time to attack our city or any city at that."

Kinarhu gestured towards Mai who sat on his right to get the input from those who stood by her.

Pao Loni; "As a man, I feel the need to go and investigate."

Iroh; "I see no need for any of us here to attend when we have armies we can easily send out to quell this disturbance."

Kinarhu then gestured to his left to receive the input from those who stood by Xingu.

Ryu In-Pin; "My view is no different from that of General Iroh's."

Lonn Di; "I think that we should all go. Leaving something as important as discovering a new land to soldiers is no way to do things."

Without needing a gesture from Kinarhu, those at his side began to speak.

Fahruu; "I believe that sending an army is quite foolish. What if these people are peaceful? It may be that the only reason they attacked those men was because they felt threatened."

Nornihp; "This island can be one of two things; either a threat or an ally. If a threat, the White Lotus must search to quell it as it is our duty to protect the Avatar. If an ally, the White Lotus must gain their knowledge and accept them."

Kinarhu; "Here is what I think. This needs investigation. Not any investigation though; our investigation. What will we really be doing if we were to leave such important tasks to others? This is a time of peace. None of us truly know war. As leaders, it is our duty to do what is best for the citizens of our nations. If you believe it is best to sit back and have others investigate, do that. If you believe it is best to investigate yourself, do that. So I shall say this, all those interested in investigating, just show up at the port seven days from now."

Back at Air Temple Island, Tenzin watched with pride as his two daughters carried on their airbending training with a nice duel.

It seemed that Jinora had mastered the air wheel, and went ahead to modify it to suit her. Instead of the single wheel, there was a second one that was quite near the original wheel which she could fire off while still riding the original wheel.

Ikki may have been younger but she was still quite talented. Using the basics of an air funnel technique, she was able to create a vacuum in front of her causing the air wheel which was sent towards her to simple be absorbed.

Tenzin watched in awe as they sparred with grace as if dancing like a sakura blossom falling from the branch in the soft blowing wind.

After a few more seconds, he went off to find Meelo. Without having to wonder, laughter that came from the west of the island gave away the postion. Travelling with the help of an air scooter, Tenzin made his way to a section of the island where there was a nice little pond. There he found Meelo, Johan, Mako and Bolin engaging in combat as Asami and Korra laughed.

Mako sat as if meditating, but Tenzin could tell by the temperature that Mako was busy heating up the air, causing the air to become less dense and rise, thus making it a bit more difficult for an airbender to properly control the air.

"_Hmmmm," _Tenzin thought. _"With this constant movement of air, it should be quite difficult for younger inexperienced airbenders to cope. Good move on Mako's part I shall admit."_

Bolin took on Meelo and Johan by himself with a weapon he became most familiar with over seven years; a pair of nunchaku. Though when it came to earthbending one would expect a weapon that was more powerful like war hammers, but this was Bolin's style.

Tenzin watched as with each swing instead of actually hitting the opponents, Bolin just went about as if he was demonstrating the beauty of the weapon. But upon closer inspection, Tenzin could see dust particles and small rocks following the nunchaku movements like whips lashing out at the opponents.

Meelo and Johan were only able to dodge and defend against Bolin's onslaught. An agile earthbender was truly the biggest enemy for any airbender.

Tenzin left them without even making his presence known, heading to the greenhouse where he was sure to find Pema. Sure enough she was there along with a few other female Air Acolytes tending to some of the plants.

"These are some beautiful flowers; that I shall admit," Tenzin stated aloud as he strode in. "And lest we forget the plants we have growing here look okay I guess."

The Air Acolytes giggled at Tenzin's corny line. "You said flowers." Pema stated quite blandly. "As a married man, should you not be only fixated on one flower?"

The ladies giggled again. "But you my dear are not a flower. You are the sun, whom without we would surely not exist."

Some of the women did a little fake swoon in the background. "Well, it seems someone is in a good mood."

"When the sun shines, everyone is happy." And with that, Tenzin leaned in and kissed Pema upon the lips.

"You truly are an airbender my love," Pema whispered when she pulled her lips away from Tenzin's. "You never fail to take my breath away."

Tenzin chuckled. "And you never fail to inspire me to do so." He picked up Pema in his arms and carried her away. The women making squealing noises like teenagers shouted after Pema phrases like 'you go girl!', 'you lucky you got a good man girl!' and the best one being 'it's your turn to leave him breathless!'.


	5. Just Relaxing

Tenzin, Pema, Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, Johan, Beifong, Mako, Bolin, Asami and Korra all sat around the dinner table, laughing and making small talk. Talk about how Jinora and Ikki were getting better at airbending; how Bolin's style of earthbending was quite unique; how Meelo was maturing; how Johan was catching on quite swiftly.

After a well spent forty minutes of eating and chatter, Pema got up and led all of her children out, leaving Tenzin, Beifong and Team Avatar to discuss what they must.

Korra was the first to speak. "I'm going."

Bolin; "Short, sweet and to the point."

Mako; "Do you even know what she's talking about?"

Bolin; "Nope. But soon I'm sure we all will."

Tenzin; "Yes you shall because we need all of your help."

Tenzin relayed the events of the meeting which happened earlier that day to those at the table. Making mention of the plan to travel to the new found land.

Beifong; "So next week, on this same day is the day to see all of those who are willing to go to a strange land for their nation."

Tenzin; "There is a chance that we may encounter an entire army there by the docks."

Asami; "How does this affect us?"

Korra; "It's quite simple. If the other nations intend on sending an army, we shall send an army; our army."

Mako; "So in summary we are going to accompany you on an amazing adventure?"

Asami; "Just as I said earlier today."

Korra stood up before she spoke. "Even if we are the only ones who show up because the other nations refused to even send an army, we shall still go." In response, those around the table followed suit; standing then speaking their mind.

Beifong; "Ten years ago, I decided that I would follow you Avatar. That is yet to change."

Tenzin; "Well Korra, we shall consider this part of the path on becoming a better Avatar. As your teacher I shall travel with you."

Mako; "I am a member of Team Avatar. But we're more than a team, we're family."

Bolin; "And family support each other."

Asami; "We will always be here for you Korra."

Korra wiped the tears from her eyes before they could form. Hoisting up her glass, a toast was made; a toast to acknowledge the bonds between them and the things which make life worth living.

In Central City Station, people watched on as a woman in a red and black robe did some firebending tricks on the statue of Zuko. She stood on the statue's base by one of the feet of the previous Fire Lord doing some pretty amazing tricks which left the audience staring in amazement.

For the finale, she created two fire circles, holding one in each hand. The orange flames grew larger and brighter until she clasped her hands closed, leaving a little space within her cupped hands. The woman kissed her hands and opened them up. From her hands exploded blue flames in the shape of a heart.

"That was so cool!" a little girl from the crowd shouted.

"Why thank you cutie. Are you a bender?"

The little girl blushed furiously. "Yes. But I'm a waterbender so I can't do what you did."

The lady saw the disappointment on the little girl's face and felt hurt by it. "Cheer up sweetie. You may be unable to do what I did, but you can do your own thing. You can make something prettier than what I did if you try!"

"Really!?" said the little girl with a smile that could brighten anyone's day.

"Of course!"

"I hope I can make something as beautiful as you!"

The lady blushed and returned the girl's smile. "I have an even better idea. Make something as beautiful as you."

The little girl ran away with a smile on her face.

"I guess I see your point now Lady Mai," said a man who sat at the base of the whole monument.

"Oh do you General Iroh?"

"Nah he's just pretending to know something," said another man who was lying down by Zuko's other foot. "So what is he pretending to know?"

Mai looked in the direction of the man that addressed her who was just a long body that took up over six feet and whose pot belly made itself seen. "The reason why I think we should go to the island of course my little Loni."

Pao Loni let out an exasperated sigh while he nodded his head left and right. "Why do you call me that? I told you I dislike being called that."

"Awwwww," she exclaimed with fake care present in her voice. "are you afraid it gives away the fact that you have a small—"

"Shut up!"

Mai laughed along with Iroh at Pao Loni's expense. When they finally calmed down Iroh spoke up. "By the way Pao Loni, I do know. I know the reason why Lady Mai wants to go herself. She wants to protect the young and innocent. She wants to protect the future. Her father fought to have a world without war—"

"And I'll be damned if that world he wanted were to collapse." Mai said in a suddenly serious voice.

Pao Loni stood up and jumped down off the statue. "Well then I guess this means we shall all be going. The things we do for what we want to protect huh… It's quite admirable."

General Iroh scoffed and smiled for the perfect retort was set up for him. "Yeah, like your manhood."

Three relatively dark individuals were relaxing in the park. Two of them sat on a park bench while the female of the group stood feeding the birds. All of them were clad in different shades of blue, making their nationality known.

"What do you think of the climate Chief?" asked the older man.

"I must admit Nornihp, it's pretty nice. Kind of hot though."

"Oh don't complain Kinarhu," said the young woman in a scolding tone. "You go around bare back in the snow so it's your own fault. None of us told you to grow accustom to cold temperatures."

Kinarhu looked at Fahruu as she fed the birds while wearing a turquoise sleeveless top that went past her cute well-sized ass, covering half of her knee length dark blue yoga pants. She spun around, causing the long braid of brunette hair which was usually by her knees to rise up as she twirled. Before he could ask about her reasoning for the random twirl, a bird started eating crumbs off of his lap.

"Mind telling me why you did that?"

"Because I don't want you to take of your shirt just so in a public place."

One of Kinarhu's eyebrows rose, revealing his bewilderment. "I still don't see why you did this."

"Wellllll," she started before pivoting her neck thus revealing half of her smooth milk chocolate face which housed a sly smile that existed beneath her turquoise eyes. "With a bird on your lap you can't move. Well you can move, but if you do I'll kill you for disturbing the cute lil animal."

Nornhip looked to his left and saw Kinarhu begin to rise. "Oh dear." He proclaimed as Fahruu's eyes became slits. "Maybe you shouldn't d—" he started saying while shifting his focus back to Kinarhu who now stood erect. "Oh boy. Chief, after looking at Fahruu's face, I recommend that you do not proceed."

Kinarhu laughed aloud, causing the nearby birds to fly away which infuriated Fahruu more. "You see Fahruu, you're scaring the poor old man. A woman in her forties shouldn't act like that since it badly affects your chances of finding someone."

Nornhip whinced and turned away before he had to witness murder. Fahruu exhaled and made disappointed 'tsk' sounds. She looked at Kinarhu who stood there bare back with a smug look on his face. Some women who were walking by giggled; probably impressed by his muscular abs and pectorals which were a dark chocolaty color. Fahruu looked back at the ground and made the 'tsk' noises of disappointment before bringing forth the pain.

A single kick to the solar plexus lifted Kinarhu over the bench. He fell flat on his back, trying to inhale the air he lost. Looking up into the sky, he saw a person's outline in front of the sun. It took him only a second to recognize who it was. The long braid is what made him realize it was Fahruu which was what made him realize that he need to move. The silhouette of Fahruu was a dead giveaway of her next move.

She kicked in an arch with her right foot, bringing it from behind her straight up until part of her leg almost touched her D-cup breast. Kinarhu barrel rolled over three meters away before the miniature icicles hit him. Sweatbending was truly a bother.

"Bitch! What the hell?!" Kinarhu screamed while grasping for breath.

Fahruu stood up and looked at Kinarhu. "I'm only thirty four!" she screamed before rushing towards Kinarhu with possible killing intent.

Nornhip remained sitting, but now he was feeding the birds. "I sure hope that they plan on behaving themselves when we are travelling to the island."

Two tall muscular men stood outside of a store, discussing something important while unintentionally attracting the attention of people passing by.

It was not just the fact that they were both more than six and a half feet tall, but what they were wearing made them stand out even more. One man had on a large robe with several shades of green and the second man was in robes which were dark shades of green with a little gold. In summary the taller man was sporting the robes of the Earth King and the other man was obviously a high ranking member of the Earth Kingdom military.

"What the hell is taking Lonn Di so long?" asked Xingu, the current Earth King.

"I wish I knew." Ryu replied.

A shorter man who just about reached six feet, stepped out of the store with two bags in his hands. "I was getting something for you guys as well since I doubt that you want to be wearing such formal clothing the entire time."

Xingu looked inside the bag he was handed and looked back at Lonn Di. He hated the fact that Lonn was not bald, unlike himself and Ryu. Xingu may have an impressive dark brown fu manchu while Ryu had a beard that started from his ears and covered his chin in an impressive light brown forest; the fact that their heads glistened in the sunlight was a pain.

He looked over to see Ryu sifting through his bag then have a vein on his forehead throb and a tick form in his jaw. "Lonn?" Ryu asked in a very calm voice. "Mind explaining what the fuck is this?"

Xingu had to stop himself from falling on the ground laughing when Ryu pulled out a bottle that had a label saying '_New Hair Growth Formula!'_ huge across it.

It was a regular thing between them as they were best friends with an amazing past. Ryu threw several punches at Lonn who easily dodged them while attracting much attention from others who were shopping.

This rivalry is what inspired them both to get stronger, what drove them to better themselves. The fruits of their training always showed themselves when fighting an enemy and it was a beautiful thing to behold. Xingu chuckled as he could not wait to see how much they improved on real enemies, not little weaklings who could barely shatter hills over two hundred feet tall.


	6. Final Boarding Call

Team Avatar sat relaxing on the jetty next to a carrier, facing the rising sun while eating a light breakfast when Bolin asked, "Would Tenzin and Lin be considered part of Team Avatar?"

Tenzin replied after putting down his tea. "No we are not. Just consider us to be trainers and-or escorts."

"By the way Bolin," Lin began to say. "I would rather have you refer to me as Beifong-sensei or Lin-sensei. Everyone else may call me Lin. I don't really care if you're an adult but you are still my student so treat me with respect."

The tweeting of the birds continued as the six of them talked and finished eating. Korra and Asami picked up the disposable containers and cups everyone had and went to throw them away. By the garbage bin next to Hangar 5, they ran into a few familiar faces.

"Korra!" Mai hollered.

"Mai!" Korra hollered back.

They hugged each other before heading back to the area where everyone else was. Korra introduced Mai and those who accompanied her to the members of her group. "This is Tenzin, Lin, Mako, Bolin and Asami." Korra said while gesturing at each person upon calling their name.

Mai bowed respectfully then made her introductions. "This is Pao. I am quite sure you guys remember Iroh."

"Iroh! You haven't really changed at all!" Mako exclaimed.

Iroh laughed. "That's a lie. I got taller and I have decided to let my beard grow a little bit. And well you also got taller and it seems a bit more muscular."

A voice boomed from the carrier boat which they were supposed to take to the island. "Who on my earth is making all that noise! I'm trying to sleep here!"

Lin looked up and replied quite rudely, "Your unrequested alarm clock. Who are you?"

"Isn't that Ryu's voice." Pao stated in an inquisitive tone.

"Pao?" Ryu stuck his head over the side of the boat and looked down at everyone who was on the jetty. "Holy shit it is you. Lonn! Xingu! Wake up!"

"What are you doing there?" Pao asked, making his hands into a faux megaphone.

While doing the same, Ryu replied "We decided to wait here for the night. Get some extra sleep you know. Don't want to worry about having to wake up early then come down here."

Lonn walked out while rubbing his eyes, "What's going on Ryu? Lady Mai? Lady Mai!"

"Hello Lonn."

While looking down at her, Lonn was reminded of how beautiful she truly was. And today, instead of her giant robes, she was wearing a near skin tight red silk shirt with a golden embroidered dragon starting from the bottom off the shirt which cut off half way down her perfect sized ass and went all up past her perfectly sized breast. This was the balance he quite enjoyed; sixty percent breast and forty percent ass. Though there we buttons which reached all the way up on her neck, she left them undone so that some cleavage smiled at him from the perfect angle.

"Lady Mai! How are you?" he exclaimed excitedly, not embarrassed at all.

"I am quite fine. It seems you are also doing well." She replied with her sweet smile that made him turn into a liquid in his shoes.

Ryu scoffed and said barely audibly but loud enough for Lonn to hear a smart ass comment. "Look at this fool, turning into a liquid in his shoes but a solid elsewhere."

At the same volume but with a more ferocious tone Lonn replied, "Shut up. I am not that horny." Faster than minutes turn to hours when one is having fun, his scowl turned to a smile and his hate filled tone turned to one filled with happiness and compassion as he addressed Mai. "You know me quite well, don't you Lady Mai?"

She giggled a bit; the simple reaction making Lonn feel like a boss. "I told you Lonn, just call me Mai."

An old and tired sounding voice joined the conversation. "I am quite glad to see people from different nations getting along so well."

Everyone focused their attention on the three people who were approaching the group. Kinarhu stood in the middle with Nornhip on his right and Fahruu on his left.

Tenzin was the first to address them. "Dare me Nornhip, you sound really out of it. Are you sure you are up for this?"

Nornhip let out a small chuckle which turned into a cough. "I doubt it. This is why I am sending someone in my place. Come on out Juuryok."

A young man who looked about twenty five stepped out from behind Kinarhu. He was wearing a light blue hoodie with the hood over his head and zipped up to where his solar plexus was located. He was wearing nothing beneath it; he just had a silver chain dangling from his neck with a moon pendant which lay on his dark chest about three inches above where his zipper stopped. His leaves were rolled up past his elbows, revealing black tattoos of vines wounding up his arms from his wrists.

Now that they were right in front of everyone, Nornhip smiled sadly. "He isn't much of a talker but he shall come in handy."

Kinarhu obviously feeling the need to lighten up the mood decided to speak. "And yes, Fahruu is wearing the same thing she was wearing a week ago."

Her hand met the back of Kinarhu's head with impressive force. "I won't expect someone like you to notice that this shade of blue is lighter. The design is the same but the clothes are different."

Asami, Korra, Mai and Fahruu all scoffed in unison, nodded their heads in shame and bluntly stated the word, "Men!"

Bolin's facial expression went from completely impartial to hurt and confused. "But all men aren't the same!" he stated in his defense for men everywhere.

"Yeah," Lonn shouted from the carrier, joining Bolin in the defense of their gender because of the fumble of one man. "He's right!"

Mai giggled and shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "Well I guess they're right. We can't label all men because of one man's stupidity."

Bolin leaned over and said loud enough for only those around him—Team Avatar—to hear. "Is it just me, or do you sense a little romance between Mai and Lonn?"

Korra was the first to answer, "Definitely."

Asami studied Mai's smiling face then Lonn who appeared to be just gawking at her. "Romance blooming on a mission? Korra, we must gather all the details from Mai."

Korra nodded in agreement before Tenzin interjected a few words of wisdom. "I overheard your silent conversation and I am urging you to not get too involved in their love life."

Like children just being scolded, with their heads hung in shame they said in unison, "Okay Tenzin."

From the ship Pao yelled, "All aboard! Let's blow this joint so that we may discover a new land and maybe show them who's boss!"

"You're noisy." Lin said sounding quite bored and tired of the man who barely got to say much.

Ryu lowered the ladder while staring down Lin. "Watch it descendant of Toph. You better be real good because—"

"Why are you so noisy? It's morning for Christ's sake." Lin cut off Ryu before he could finish his threat.


	7. Encounter

Xingu sat cross-legged in his quarters, staring down his visitors as they ate the food he brought down for the stowaways.

"Listen here girls," he said in his gruff voice. "Right now, the crew members are busy clearing the deck to allow for a safe take off of the planes. So talk now if you wanna go or if you're too afraid of your father."

The elder of the girls answered for the both of them while the younger was stuffing her face as if she had not eaten in days. "Father is just going to have to get over it. We're old enough to take care of ourselves and make our own decisions. Therefore, we are going."

"The only reason I'm allowing this is because you guys are airbenders, and to make it even better descendants of Avatar Aang. Your power is something I wish to see; badly."

Jinora laughed, took a shot of sake, and then replied. "I can assure you Xingu; your curiosity is understood. After all," she rolled up her sleeves to reveal baby blue arrows that led to her hands. "I am even stronger than Tenzin."

"But where is the arrow that is supposed to be on your head?"

"I like to cover it with makeup, no use showing it off for all to see."

Xingu laughed again, his large frame shaking. "I've heard much about you, Jinora. Your strength is amazing and you have changed from what you once were. Now you are a bit more…entertaining."

Ikki slammed her empty cup on the table. "Whatever mister Xingu. Let's just get out of here so we can go and beat some bad guys!"

.

"Fuck no!" Tenzin yelled, his voice decibels louder than the crashing waves.

"Unfortunately you can't exactly tell me what to do anymore Tenzin." Jinora said with a lot of sass, before walking past him to enter one of the five-person planes.

"Sorry daddy! But I gotta go with Jinora." Ikki said, unnaturally happy while skipping past Tenzin to another plane.

Tenzin rubbed his temples with both hands while muttering curses under his breath. "Alright; lemme think. Okay. Fuck! Alright. We're gonna go in teams, and approach from the four cardinal points. As we can see this island is much larger than any of us really expected. So here are the teams. From North; Mako, Xingu, Fahruu and Jinora. From South: Bolin, Pao, Kinarhu and Ikki. From East; Korra, Iroh, Ryu and I. From West; Asami, Mai, Lonn, Juuryok and Lin. Any complaints?"

Various versions of no could be heard from everyone.

Tenzin gave a dirty glance towards Jinora and then gritted his teeth. "Well then, Let us depart."

.

The plane which landed south was the first to arrive. Instead of landing on the sand, they landed in the water just a bit offshore so that the pilot could get back to the ship without being attacked.

Unlike those who unfortunately got involved with the island, it was all timed perfectly so that they would reach the island near seven o'clock, leaving a fair amount of time before the island was consumed by darkness; leaving the visitors at an unfortunate disadvantage.

The water reached Ikki's knees, which was just about the shins of everyone else. Fifteen meters away was beach; twenty meters away was sand which was untouched by the rolling and crashing waves; sixty meters away was a person, sitting in the sand.

Kinarhu led the group on shore, stopping thrity meters away from he who may just be their enemy. "Umm, sir?" Kinarhu asked as if addressing someone whose attention you wanted for something minor.

The person looked up, and it was a man who looked no older than twenty-five. He removed the hood from over his head and stood up, carefully regarding his visitors. His white hoody was unzipped, exposing his tanned chest and abs. His short green and yellow pants which stopped by his knees galleried his toned calves.

"Wow," Ikki exclaimed with a voice full of wonder and amazement. "His eyes are so cool."

That they truly were. His irises were the color of the sand, an off white. Upon closer investigation, Kinarhu was able to see deeper into his eyes, in which it looked as if a sandstorm was taking place.

"Why thank you little girl." The man told Ikki with a broad smile on his face, head tilted and eyes closed. "You have pretty eyes as well."

Bolin laughed while Ikki blushed. "Well it seems that you're a nice guy. It seems he's an ally, right Kinarhu?" Bolin stated, unable to read the situation as well as Kinarhu and Pao, who could see a few sand particles dancing about the strange man.

The man chuckled, "Yeah, I guess I am. I mean, I didn't kill that one man who was here earlier. Well, I kind of did kill his friends and keeping him alive was important. But imagine, I told him that I would let him live if he got the strongest people to come to this island so that we could kill them. It seems from which ever nation he was from, he couldn't care less of its rulers or citizens. Enough about him though, it's about time you died."

As soon as the man finished his sentence, the sand particles shot off like shrapnel from an explosion. Kinarhu created a dense wall of ice in a snap to protect everyone; the main reason he requested that everyone stuck close together.

Kinarhu heard Bolin sigh, and then saw him stretch his arms. "You know what guy," Bolin said quite sheepishly. "I was hoping you were nice so that we wouldn't have to fight. But it seems that I have no choice but to kick your ass. Kinarhu and I should be enough to handle you. Oh wait, tell me your name first bender."

The man laughed, obviously humored by Bolin's speech. "I like you kid. So how bout you call me Almega?"

Pao's brows furrowed at the mention of the Almega's name. "Almega? What kind of name is that?"

"Oh this? It's my own combination. It's the merging of 'Alpha' and 'Omega'; you know since I am the beginning of your quest on this island but I am also the end of you. So…what do you think of it?"

A stream of sand appeared from the Almega's left but he stopped it with his own sand shield. "I think you sound a bit self-righteous, so how bout I knock you down a few pegs?" Bolin said, beaming with a confidence and maturity which he lacked ten years ago.

Almega rode the sand in a parabola-shape to get around Kinarhu's ice shield to attack the Southern Team from their right. Pao stomped the ground causing a medium level wall of sand to shoot up, forcing Almega to stop.

"Sorry guys, but I aint gonna be of any help," Pao confessed, somewhat embarrassed. "I can't exactly bend sand so have fun."

Ikki looked at Pao and smiled. "Don't worry mister Pao, since your name reminds me of a snack I shall protect you with a nice wall of air. But we probably won't need it since Bolin is fighting on our side."

Both Ikki and Pao retreated twenty meters, to the area where the waves were just lapping at their ankles like miniature puppies, leaving the earthbender and waterbender to fight the sandbender.

Bolin began to fight like a firebender, throwing punches and kicks, which resulted in sand leaping from behind him and at his opponent. A left hook sent a stream to force Almega closer out to sea. Unfortunately, Almega made use of the sand beneath his feet, using it to travel faster than a human normally would to evade such attacks.

Kinarhu from where he stood which was just behind Bolin controlled the water from the sea to attack the evasive sandbender.

"Hey Kinarhu," Bolin began speaking, holding up his relentless attack. "I need you to hold up a bit. I'm about to get serious."

Bolin advanced slowly while removing his nunchaku. He began to spin them rapidly, constantly switching hands so that they travelled all across his body. Sand started trailing the nunchaku movements as if it was an extension of the nunchaku.

"I like you kid," Almega said with a chuckle. "Therefore I shall kill you last."

The sand behind Almega started shifting, and then a giant lump of sand started to rise. In no more than ten seconds, a twenty foot sand golem was roaring.

"Bolin," Kinarhu started to speak. "You take Almega; leave that giant hunk of sand to me."


End file.
